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July 27-29, 2018 -
TRAACA Tour to Charlottesville -Fourteen members
of the TRAACA journeyed to Charlottesville, VA to enjoy a weekend in
Virginia wine country. Vickie Doscher planned a terrific sequence of
activities for everyone starting with a visit on Friday afternoon to
Cunningham Creek Winery in Palmyra, VA, where we learned about the
operations of a craft vineyard and got to enjoy some delicious wine. After
completing our drive to our hotel in Charlottesville, we enjoyed dinner at
nearby Travinia Italian Kitchen, then went to the McCormick Observatory at
the University of Virginia where we were able to view Saturn and Venus
through the observatory’s 26-inch refractor telescope. Saturday morning,
after a leisurely breakfast at the hotel, our group visited President Thomas
Jefferson’s home—Monticello—for a behind the scenes tour of the private
areas of house, then went to historic Michie Tavern for lunch. Saturday
afternoon we visited Castle Hill Cidery in Keswick, Virginia, for a tour and
tastings. The group returned to Charlottesville for dinner at nearby
Burton’s Grill, then most of the group went on a ghost & history tour in
historic downtown Charlottesville and stopped afterward for some delicious
Italian gelato. Sunday morning most of the group traveled to Highland, the
official residence of President James Monroe and his wife Elizabeth
Kortright Monroe. After the tour the group had lunch at Moose’s by the Creek
restaurant, then made their ways home separately. TRAACA members who
participated were Jean & David Belton, Kim & Travis Berry, Linda & Dick
Cooper (our West Virginia “chapter”), Vickie & Matt Doscher, Marion & Mark
McAlpine, Carol & Wayne Milligan, and Linda & Bob Pellerin. Everyone had a
great time and thank Vickie for planning the tour and making all the
arrangements. (Story and photos by Mark and Marion McAlpine)

July 11-14, 2018 -
AACA Eastern Spring Meet (Gettysburg, PA) - A small contingent of TRAACA
members made the trek to Gettysburg, PA, for the 2018 AACA Eastern Spring
Meet on 11-14 July 2018, and it was worth the trip. With over 500 cars on
the show field on Saturday, it was a large meet. Some members drove up
mid-week to visit Prueitt Restorations, the Don Bowman collection, and the
Eastern Museum of Motor Racing or enjoy some of the tours the Chesapeake
Region AACA had set up for the meet. Others arrived later in the week to
enter their antique vehicle in the show or to judge. (Some did both.) Every
TRAACA member who entered a car in the show came home happy. Mike & Darlene
Brown’s 1972 Ford LTD Brougham received its Repeat Preservation Award, as
did Mark & Marion McAlpine’s 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle SS-396. This was
Charlie & Sandy Dawsons first time entering a vehicle for judging at an AACA
meet, and their 1968 Chevrolet Camaro Z-28 received its First Junior Award.
Jim & Donna Elliott’s 1931 Cadillac 12-cylinder 370A received its Senior
Award. Tony Scarpelli’s 1956 DeSoto Firedome received its Driver
Participation Class (DPC) Certification, and Neil & Marty Sugermeyer’s 1965
Ramble Classic 770 received its Repeat DPC Certification. Mike Brown was
recognized for achieving 10 Judging Credits and becoming an AACA Master
Judge. Terry Bond, Mike Brown, Bill Coburn, Tom Cox, Jim Elliott, Sam Kern,
Marion & Mark McAlpine, Bob Parrish, Tony Scarpelli, and Neil Sugermeyer
judged at the meet; Terry Bond, Jim Elliott, and Marion & Mark McAlpine each
presented Continuing Judges Education (CJE) lessons; and Dot Parrish worked
judging administration. (Story and photos by Mark and
Marion McAlpine)

June 15-16, 2018 -
HVPR/TRAACA Endless Yard Sale - On Friday and Saturday, 15-16 June 2018,
a small cadre of TRAACA and HVPR members journeyed to North Carolina to
participate in the Route 301 Endless Yard Sale, an annual event where
private individuals and business set up yard sales or open their businesses
along over 100 miles of Route 301 between Weldon and Dunn, NC. Donna & Jim
Elliott, Marion & Mark McAlpine, and Leslie & Tony Scarpelli got an early
start on the great deals by driving to Selma, NC, then hitting the yard
sales and shops on the way back to Rocky Mount, NC, where they had dinner
and spent the night reenergizing before hitting the Endless Yard Sale again
on Saturday. On Saturday morning, Kim & Travis Berry and Margie & Rad
Tillett and their adult son Bren drove to Rocky Mount to begin their
antiquing outing. All five cars worked their way north individually, making
frequent stops at private yard sales, group yard sales at country
fairgrounds and city parks, sometimes meeting up with each other at various
spots, then congregated in Weldon, NC, to ravage Riverside Mill Antiques &
Collectibles. After treasures and energy (and wallets) were exhausted, the
group went to Ralph’s Barbecue in Weldon for some delicious Southern food.
Everyone had a great time but agreed the best finds (for what they were
looking for) were at the antique stores and auto repair shops—the yard sales
mostly had clothing—so look for next year’s joint TRAACA and HVPR antique
crawl to be along a more traditional route. (Story by Marion McAlpine.
Photos by Travis Berry, Donna Elliott, Marion & Mark McAlpine, and Leslie
Scarpelli)

June 2, 2018 -
AACA Grand National (Greensburg, PA) - Despite high probabilities of
rain for the entire three-day event, the 2018 AACA Grand National meet held
at the University of Pittsburgh's Greensburg Campus had almost all of the
more than five hundred registered antique vehicles on the field. All
to the good, as the threatened precipitation held off and allowed a very
full morning of judging some of the very best that AACA has to offer.
Naturally, that 'very best' included a large number of cars and people from
Tidewater region. TRAACA vehicles going for various Grand National awards
included Jim and Donna Elliott's 1903 Cadillac, Tim Hund's 1932 Auburn,
Scott Davies' 1958 Corvette, Reggie and Cindi Nash's 1958 Cadillac, Jim Viller's 1950 Jeep CJ-3A, Wes
Neil's and Nancy Soscia's 1991 Jeep Grand Wagoneer, Mark and Marion
McAlpine's 1970 Chevelle SS, and Bill and Linda Treadwell's 1969 Camaro.
We also had quite a few folks who came just to judge, including Bob and Dot
Parrish, Tom Cox, Terry Bond, Neil Sugermeyer, Richard and Linda Cooper,
Bill Coburn, and Bob Stein. Marty and Johnny Sugermeyer were on hand
for morale support. Almost all of our TRAACA folks came home with the
awards they were after - congratulations to everyone!

May 19, 2018 - TRAACA Club Picnic -
Cloudy skies and occasional hard rain might detour some clubs from a weekend
activity, but not TRAACA folks! (At least when there is free food on
the line.) With seventy-two members signed up to attend a club picnic hosted
by Dewey and Maxine Milligan and catered by Southland, the actual number
attending was... seventy-THREE! The activity, set up by Wayne and Carol
Milligan, was completely subsidized by the club for members. The menu
included bar-b-que, fried chicken, hush puppies, cole slaw and green beans,
all freshly prepared on the spot. Afterwards there were cookies and
brownies for dessert. In addition to most of the 'usual crowd, the
event drew some long-distance members as well - Al and Sharon Mercer came
all the way from Saint Charles, Missouri! The inclement weather did not keep antique cars
away, either, with Riley Best driving the oldest iron - his 1953 Pontiac
'Tin Woody' and ten other antiques in the parking areas. As the only club officer present, Charlie Dawson ran a
very brief business meeting to make the monthly meeting official.
However, most of the meeting was spent doing what we love most - eating and
visiting with fellow members, with some tire kicking outside when the rain
let up. Many thanks to the club for this great activity!

May 5, 2018 - 17th Annual Square
Car Tour - Twenty-three cars and more than forty people showed up for
our Annual Square Car Tour - a drive where the oldest car leads the
way, setting the pace for the rest of the participants. Matt and Vickie Doscher laid out the tour, which wound through back roads of Chesapeake and
Virginia Beach with hardly a single stop light. We started off at Matt and
Vickie's home in Chesapeake to socialize and enjoy donuts and coffee. Tires
were kicked, lies were swapped, and we all ogled Jeff Locke's
less-than-24-hour-old purchase - a Rolls Royce! Matt called a driver's
meeting at 10:30 AM to go over carefully prepared directions. Then he
took point with Vickie in their 1965 Mercury Comet convertible, just ahead
of Terry Bond and passenger Mark McAlpine in Terry's 1914 Model T Ford. The
rest of the participants followed in rough chronological order of the
vehicles they were driving, with 'modern iron' brining up the rear. Pre-war
vehicles included Ken and Barbara Talley's 1929 Buick, Billy Stutz and son
in their 1929 Model A Ford, Bob and Dot Parrish in
their 1931 Chevrolet Sport Coupe, Bob Stein and Dan Ciccone in Bob's 1937
Pontiac, Mickey and Toni McChesney's 1940 Oldsmobile, and Jere Avenson's
1941 Packard Deluxe. Despite predictions of rain earlier in the week, the
weather could not have been more perfect. Warm and mostly sunny, with
temperatures in the upper 70s as opposed to the previous day's 90 degrees!
Matt kept the pace comfortable for the oldest of the cars, allowing for a
leisurely drive. We had a rest stop at Munden Point Park in Virginia
Beach, then rolled through more beautiful countryside before making our
final stop for lunch at the excellent Blue Pete's Restaurant in Pungo.
You couldn't ask for a better old car activity - it started and ended with
good food, and no one broke down! Thanks to Matt and Vickie Doscher for a
great Square Car Tour!

April 14, 2018 - Lantern Asia
Display - More than 30 TRAACA members took advantage of one of our few
real Spring Days to participate in dinner and a walking tour of the
Norfolk Botanical Garden's Lantern Asia display. The group met for dinner
(of course) at the Azalea Inn, taking up most of the restaurant's side room.
Tim and Phyllis Hund had their 1955 Packard Carribean convertible in the
parking lot, along with Bill and Linda Treadwell's 1973 Oldsmobile
Cutlass 442. After dinner, the group drove over to the Botanical
Gardens and enjoyed a mile-long walk around internally-lit works of
art highlighting traditional Asian themes of nature, wildlife, architecture
and ancient folklore. Many thanks to the activities committee for putting
together another great activity - and also providing perfect weather for it!
(Images by Hilary Pavlidis and Bob Stein)

April 4-7, 2018 - Charlotte Auto
Fair and Southeastern Division AACA National Spring Meet - In its
never-ending quest to be more like Hershey, this year's Charlotte Auto Fair
and Eastern Division Spring Meet provided a mix of weather that started off
with shirtsleeve sunny days and ended with cold and drizzle. Two days
of beautiful blue skies allowed plenty of browsing through the flea market
fields, but things turns dark and wet for the car show on Saturday.
Despite the unpleasant weather, Tidewater had a good showing both on the
field and in the judge's ranks. Starting with AACA Vice President of
Judging Jim Elliott's 1993 Camaro Pace Car, the region was represented by
Andy Ott's freshly restored 1930 Model A Pickup Truck, Bill and Linda
Treadwell's 1973 Oldsmobile Cutlass 442, Fred Cole's 1978 Honda CB750F
competition motorcycle, Jeff Locke's 1964 Solex Moped, and Bob Stein's 1993
EV Warrior Electric Moped. Participants in judging included Bill
Treadwell, Terry Bond, Neil Sugermeyer, Bob and Dot Parrish, Mark and Marion
McAlpine, Tony Scarpelli, Jim and Donna Elliott, Jeff Locke, Tom Cox (who
also received a milestone judging award), and Bob Stein. Also spotted
in and around the show field were Richard and Linda Cooper and Gordon
Garnett (who had his Lincoln Town Car in the corral). Participants got
to see the debut of the AACA Library's freshly restored Bookmobile, which
was on display in the AACA main information tent for the entire show. Show
results will be added when they are released.

March 10, 2018 - TRAACA Annual Swap
Meet - After several years of decent weather in march, the annual Swap
Meet finally got a less than ideal day at the Military Aviation Museum in
Pungo. The morning started out dry, if cloudy, and a decent turnout of
both vendors and and customers showed up for the first big local collector
car event of the year. Most of the spaces outside and inside were
occupied by individuals selling everything from a mid-1940s Crosley
convertible to gas pumps and period clothing. The car corral offered a
good choice as well, including a 2001 Thunderbird, a 1958 Oldsmobile
Holiday, a 1953 MG TD, and a 1991 Lincoln Town Car. Late morning began
to get damp, however, sprinkles sending folks into the hangar at first, but
then convincing the outside vendors to start packing up. Despite the
abbreviated activity, the vent was a success thanks to the efforts Chairman
Bill Treadwell and his terrific volunteers, as well those who contributed
and manned the bake sale table. Thanks to all who participated!

February 24, 2018 - HVPR/TRAACA
White Rabbit Special - What can get more than 40 old car enthusiasts out
on a February evening? How about a great dinner and an evening with a
six-foot tall pooka? The Historic Virginia Peninsula and
Tidewater regions combined forces for dinner at Smithfield Station and
'Harvey' at the Smithfield Little Theater. Starting off with dinner
(of course), participants could select from a special inclusive dinner deal
that offered appetizers such as bacon-wrapped scallops and oysters
Rockefeller, entrees with crab cakes, fish, chicken, steak, or even salads,
and fudge cake or bread pudding for dessert. Following the meal, the
group made its way to the Smithfield Little Theater for a well-reviewed
performance of Mary Chase's 'Harvey'. Both the meal and the show were
excellent, and member Ron Pack even got integrated into the show.
Thanks to the activity committee for helping put together a great evening
out!

February 8-10, 2018 - AACA
National Membership Meeting - More than two dozen TRAACA
club members showed up for this year's National Membership Meeting in
Philadelphia, with four of the
seminars presented by or assisted with by TRAACA folks. Three
members received National Awards and four members started or continued as
National Directors. Outgoing National President and TRAACA members Tom
and Tammy Cox ended a second term. Mark and Marion McAlpine received the AACA Master Editor Award
for the third time, and Bob Stein announced the Webmaster awards. Scott
Davies received the National Corvette Award for his fantastic restoration of
the 1958 Corvette roadster his brother Bob bought new, and sold to Scott in
the early 1960s. As usual, the trips up and back included stops at
Jimmy's Family Restaurant in Bridgeville, where Bill Wilcox discovered that
they were not lying when they advertised a 'jumbo' cinnamon bun! (Photos by
Bob Stein and Sue Bond)

January 21, 2018 - Impromptu Fun
Run - Matt Doscher took a look at the forecast earlier this week and
decided to set up a fun run to take advantage of some long-missing warm
temperatures and sunny skies. He set up a great afternoon drive
through the back roads of Chesapeake and Virginia Beach on Monday and
put out the word. Nearly a dozen antique cars and close to two dozen
members showed up for the start at Noon in the Farm Fresh parking lot off
Mount Pleasant Road in Chesapeake. The oldest cars on the run were
also the most impressive - Jere Avenson's 1941 Packard Deluxe 110 and
William and Doug Grosz's 1947 Super Eight. After an hour of easy cruising, the group
ended up at Pungp Pizza for lunch. It was a great way to spend a sunny
Sunday afternoon!

January 20, 2018 - Awards and
Installation Banquet - Tidewater Region's annual awards and installation
ceremony took place at the Holiday Inn Norfolk Airport, with more than 60
members participating. This event honors members who have excelled in
the hobby and also installs the incoming board of directors and new board
members. President Mark McAlpine opened ceremonies with general
announcements, followed by a blessing by Terry Bond.
After everyone enjoyed a buffet dinner that featured Chicken Marsala, Citrus
Salmon, and a roast beef carving station, Mark started the festivities. The awards
presentations went smoothly, with a brief aside for co=editors Mark and Marion McAlpine to present
frames covers of the MudFlap to members whose cars were on the cover that
month. Jim also gave special recognition to TRAACA members who
are receiving national honors at Philadelphia in February, as well as
special awards to TRAACA members for service to the club. Bob Parrish
did a sweet job of bringing in the 2018 TRAACA board officers and members by
giving each a description of their duties and a candy bar that signified
their job. It was noted that Bob pocketed one of the bars himself
- claiming a 'Payday' for missing Treasurer Charlie Dawson. The 2018 TRAACA board consists of Mark McAlpine -
President, Matt Doscher - Vice President, Vickie Doscher - Secretary,
Charlie Dawson - Treasurer, and board members Jerry Adams, Scott Davies,
Tim Hund and Travis Berry. The evening ended with
closing remarks from Mark McAlpine.

January 13, 2018 -
Chrysler Museum and Freemason Abbey - Nearly forty members rolled out
early Saturday morning to meet at Norfolk's Chrysler Museum of Art. Although
the world-class facility generally has amazing displays on hand, the
particular draw this time was a display of glassware by René Lalique, a
French craftsman whose Art Deco works included magnificent hood ornaments
that graced elegant vehicles from the 1920s and 1930s. There was also
a new display celebrating NASA Langley's 100th anniversary, with displays
from some of the earliest aircraft experiments to the latest in distant
galaxy research. There was even some history in the parking lot, with
Bob Stein's 1937 Pontiac and Bob and Dot Parrish's 1977 Corvette out for the
activity. Following the museum tour, the group went on the Freemason
Abbey for lunch, enjoying a special group menu that included a variety of
sandwiches, crab quiche, and bar-b-que. It was a great way to shake
off winter doldrums and stay warm. Many thanks to the activity
committee for a great event!

December 10,
2017 - TRAACA Holiday Event - This year's annual holiday season
activity brought us back to the elegant buffet brunch at the Princess Anne Country Club
in Virginia Beach. More than eighty members and nearly two dozen antique
vehicles showed up for the great food and company. All that was
missing was electricity - the club lost power fifteen minutes before our
function was to start, after having been without power most of the previous
day. However, unlike two functions that had to cancel out the previous
day, we were able to soldier on thanks to gas stoves in the kitchen and
walls of glass windows with a sunny day. After a social hour and a few brief words of
introduction by President Mark McAlpine, the group started in on the brunch
buffet, which included two omelet bars, standing prime
rib, shrimp, salads, fruit, desserts, and more. A very brief business
meeting got announcements out of the way, and then Terry Bond provided a
terrific recap of the Tidewater Region's activities in 2017 in the form of a
'Letter to Santa Claus." It was an excellent end to
2017 - thanks to all those who made it possible!

December 5, 2017 – Dinner and Holiday Lights -
More than forty TRAACA members took advantage of mid-sixties temperatures
and clear skies to enjoy a ride through the Norfolk Botanical Garden's
Holiday Light display. We started off with dinner at Azalea Inn, a
local family restaurant with great pizza and prime rib. After dinner,
the group followed Bob and Susan Woolfitt in their 1956 Packard over to the
Botanical Gardens for the tour. There are over a million lights in the
display, which took two months for crews to set up. Scenes range from
fire-breathing dragons and waterfalls of light to scenes of Santa taking off
from an aircraft carrier and a gingerbread house. The group had a
great time - thanks to the activity committee for setting things up!

November 18-19, 2017 – Coastal Virginia Auto Show -
Although it is an open commercial event, the Coastal Virginia Auto Show held
at the Virginia Beach Convention Center had a lot of TRAACA
and other AACA folks participating. One of the featured guests was
TRAACA member and AACA National President Tom Cox, who brought his amazingly
original 1947 Nash all the way from Roanoke! Other region members and
friends with vehicles in the show included Harry Boone, Jim Elliott, Charlie Dawson,
Charlie Daniels, Bill Treadwell, Bob Stein, Bill Thumel, Mickey McChesney,
Tommy and Debbie Nolan from Richmond, Joe and Jack Burroughs, Joe and
Charlene Geib, John and Lynn Heimerl (we'll forgive him for bringing a hot
rod), Fred Cole, and Wally Hunt from
Fredericksburg. Spectators included Bob Parrish, Scott Davies, and
Mark and Marion McAlpine. Awards went to Joe and Charlene Geib's 1966 Avanti,
Bob Stein's 1949 MG TC, Bill Thumel's 1959 Austin-Healey, and Wally Hunt's
1924 Model T Ford.

November 16, 2017 – TRAACA Silent Auction! -
Our most popular dinner meeting is always the Silent Auction, and this year
was no exception. The Holiday Inn banquet room was bursting at the
seams Thursday night with tables covered with donated treasures and one of
the largest crowds ever. Although it is technically a fund raiser for
the club, the Silent Auction is also a great time to socialize, with more
people congregating to chat than look at the items. However, it is
also a great time to find true bargains - as the old saying goes, one
person's junk... Some of the standout items of this year's auction were
a 1957 Monogram Cessna 180 model kit (unbuilt) in the original box, lifetime
alignments from Cavalier Garage, and TWO 1965 Mustang dashboard alarm clock
and weather station combos!
Given the proximity to Thanksgiving, the dinner buffet included turkey, ham,
dressing, and a variety of desserts. The Silent Auction was a great success both
financially and fun-wise - thanks to those who made it possible!

November 4, 2017 -'American Graffiti' Movie Night - More
than a hundred people showed up to enjoy free dinner and a movie hosted by
member Bob Hanbury at his amazing activity facility in Portsmouth. In
addition to the featured viewing of the film classic 'American
Graffiti,' Bob provided a steel drummer and a magician for additional
entertainment. Dinner included bar-b-que, fried chicken, hotdogs, and
a great variety of side dishes all prepared on-site by Bob's capable staff.
Mark and Marion McAlpine set up an American Graffiti trivia challenge game
just before the movie, where participants had to test their memories.
Popcorn and drinks were available all during the movie, and Bob even sent
folks home with leftovers from the dinner banquet. It was a tremendous
evening, all due to the generosity and hard work of Bob Hanbury and his
staff.

October 28, 2017 -The TRAACA Annual Chili Cookoff! - The end of
October brings many things - including our favorite form of Chili weather -
warm and sunny skies! In this case, the October chili arrived in crock
pots, along with fried chicken, deviled eggs, cornbread, brownies, cakes,
and all sorts of other good things to eat. Generously hosted again by Dewey
and Maxine Milligan, our 2017 Chili Cookoff was one of the largest ever,
with 11 different chili entries and more than 50 members attending. As
usual, there was a great variety of antique cars driven to the event that
ranged from a Model A ford sedan and a 1937 Imperial, a magnificent 1947
Packard limousine and perfectly restored 1958 Corvette, all the way up to a
1967 Cobra replica and a 1985 Ford Crown Victoria. After a brief
business meeting and a big THANK YOU from President Mark McAlpine to our
hosts, now-walker-free Terry Bond gave a blessing and the masses swarmed the
food tables in our usual friendly free-for-all. It was a tough
competition, but in the end we have four award winners. William Grosz
and Vickie Doscher tied for the third place "Barely Made It Award.'
Event organizer Jerry Adams received the Second Place 'Almost There Award.
And finally, Carol Milligan earned top honors and was presented with the
coveted 'Best in Bowl' first place award. As always, this was a fun
activity, and we thank everyone who helped make it possible.

October 5-7, 2017 – Hershey! - Sunny skies and unusually warm
weather made this year's Hershey a surprisingly comfortable place to be - a
couple of scattered showers late Thursday and a very fine sprinkle Saturday
were the only issues with an otherwise great weekend. The world's
biggest antique car event drew out plenty of TRAACA members as vendors, show
participants, judges, and spectators. Although prices were typically
high, some bargains could be found. A 1953 Packard 200 in very nice
driver condition could be yours for $5600, and there was even the requisite
'barn find' car with the odd 'bonus' of being obscured by decades of dirt
and dust. TRAACA member and National President Tom Cox was out front
to hand dash plaques to nearly 2000 Eastern Division Fall Meet participants.
Other TRAACA folks on hand included Mark and Marion McAlpine, Matt and
Vickie Doscher, Wayne and Carol Milligan, Bob and Dot Parrish, Terry and
Susan Bond, Wes Neal, Bob and Pam Bond, Mickey and Toni McChesney, Scott
Davies, Holly Forester, Sam Kern, Richard and Sandy Hall, Tony Scarpelli,
Bob Hanbury, Rad and Marge Tillett, Bill Coburn, Bob Stein, Pat and Jeff
Locke, Tim Hund, and Bruce Sedel. (Photos by Wes Neal and Bob Stein)

September 30, 2017 – Walking Tour of Fort Monroe - More than a
dozen members showed up early Saturday morning at the Ocean View McDonald's
for a a tour of historic Fort Monroe. The group caravanned over to Ft.
Monroe, where they started with a guided walking tour of the historic
military facility. After the guided tour, members were free to explore
the Casemate Museum and other parts of Ft. Monroe on their own, gathering
back for a short drive to the Deadrise Restaurant. It was a beautiful
day to be out - thanks to Wayne Milligan and the other members of the
Activities Committee for putting this event together! (Photos by
Vickie Doscher)

September 23, 2017 – 44th Annual Meet/Wings and Wheels Show - Our
44th Annual Meet at the Military Aviation Museum was one of the biggest ever
thanks to warm, sunny weather. About 200 classic, special interest, and
modified vehicles rolled out for our biggest event of the year, including a
1929 Packard Dual-Cowl Phaeton, a WWII Jeep complete with machine gun, a
display celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Cougar, Camaro, and
Firebird, and a display of vintage fire trucks. As usual,
vehicles began showing up well before the advertised 8 AM kickoff, but show
chairman Tony Scarpelli and his crew had stations manned and ready. Show class judging and
special award results are listed below, and you can get a 'virtual' look at our
show below. Nearly 400 photos include every show vehicle, plus activities and awards! And
even better, we have a great brid's-eye view of the show provided by Michael
Blankenship:
https://youtu.be/hzorH1Y5PhM

August 12, 2017 - Doumar's Treat!
- How do you top our normal event that combines old cars and good food?
By offering FREE good food! TRAACA members were invited to bring their
antique vehicles and favorite companions to Norfolk's famous Doumar's
restaurant, a 1950s-style diner with curb service and the world's first ice
cream cone machine from 1903. Since this was a rain or shine event and
it chose to rain, some members opted to come in modern iron. However,
there were still at least 14 antiques ranging from Bob and Susan Woolfitt's
1956 Packard 400 all the way to Daniel and Diana Etheridge's 1986 Jaguar XJS.
Minced Bar-B-Que, fries, limeades, and ice cream were delivered steadily
through the evening, with plenty of spectators coming to admire the old
cars. We even got a new member who brought his 1957 Ford retractable
hardtop. Thanks to Sandy and Charlie Dawson for putting the activity
together ()and to Charlie for wearing his pink Poodle skirt!)

July 22, 2017 - Route 17 Antique
Store Crawl - Saturday, July 22, 2017, was a hot and humid day in
Yorktown, VA, but the heat did not stop members of the TRAACA and our sister
region, the Historic Virginia Peninsula Region (HVPR), from getting together
to “crawl” along Route 17 in search of antiques, treasures, lunch, and
laughs. This was the second activity for the TRAACA in July, and the second
joint activity with the HVPR region this year, and it brought out a total of
31 treasure hunters. We started out the morning by meeting at the York
Village Shopping Center in Yorktown, VA, at 10:30 AM. We enjoyed donuts and
started the shopping spree at an antique shop which opened at 10:00 AM and
graciously allowed us to bring our donuts and water into the shop while we
perused the various items in the store. We spent about an hour between the
different shops, before we returned to our vehicles and cruised about ten
minutes up Route 17 across the Coleman Bridge to Gloucester, VA. In
Gloucester, we visited a more upscale establishment, the Swan Tavern
Antiques, which has green window awnings and looks more like a restaurant
than an antique shop from the outside. The shop had beautiful furniture and
accessories—some dating to the 1780s—however, the items were costlier than
in the previous shops we had visited. Our group enjoyed looking around and
speaking to the staff. Leaving the Swan Tavern, the group proceeded another
mile to the Marketplace Antique Mall. This was a very large warehouse-style
building with a large selection of antiques and craft items. Several
purchases were made before it was time to have lunch. All of our group chose
to eat at the Wild Horse Café, located in the same shopping complex as the
Marketplace Antique Mall. The Wild Horse Café is a relatively new
establishment with a great variety of food items to choose from and milk
shakes. The staff at the café was very accommodating, setting up a large
area for our group to sit together. While waiting for the waitress to
deliver the food, the group discussed some of the purchases they had made.
After we completed lunch the group started to disperse. Some people went to
visit family in the area, some continued to chat outside the restaurant
before returning home, and some continued their quest for treasures. The
TRAACA and HVPR group certainly helped support the Yorktown and Gloucester
area economy on July 22, 2017, with our antique and food purchases. TRAACA
members and family present at the Route 17 “Crawl” included Al Becker, Kim &
Travis Berry (and Kim’s mother Annette), Sally & Fred Cole, Keith Colonna,
Vickie & Matt Doscher, Donna & Jim Elliott, Lynn & John Heimerl, Chris Hunt,
Marion & Mark McAlpine, Toni & Mickey McChesney, Carol & Wayne Milligan,
Skip Patnode, Leslie & Tony Scarpelli, Marty & Neil Sugermeyer, and Robyn
Burnham & Bill Wilcox (and Bill’s daughter Kim). (Story by Marion
McAlpine. Photos by Mark McAlpine.)

July 8, 2017 - Brock Environmental
Center Tour - On Saturday, July 8th, 22 TRAACA members took an
outing to the most environmentally friendly building in the country—the
Brock Environmental Center in Virginia Beach, VA. It was a scorcher of a
day, but despite temperatures in the 90s several members took their vintage
cars on a road trip: Matt & Vickie Doscher in their 1991 Mercury Grand
Marquis; Ron & Sally Hartman in their 1947 Chrysler Windsor, whose red
plaid, wool interior added to the heat; Dana & Debbie Meadows in their 1966
Triumph TR-4; Bob & Linda Pellerin in their 1966 Ford Mustang convertible;
Jim & Betty Villers in their 1967 Porsche 911. Jerry, Ellen, and Kaylan
Adams, Joe & Charlene Geib and their son Craig, John & Lynn Heimerl, Mark &
Marion McAlpine, and Wayne & Carol Milligan all drove modern. Located
on the Lynnhaven River near Shore Drive, the Brock Environmental Center is
the regional headquarters of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation and home to the
Lynnhaven River NOW environmental group. The center is surrounded by the
118-acre Pleasure House Natural Area, which welcomes visitors for hiking,
biking, canoeing, bird watching, and kayaking. Until 2008 the site was
destined to become 1,110 condominiums, then the Chesapeake Bay Foundation
bought the land and raised funds for its 10,500-square foot, ecologically
friendly building. The environmental center and park are an education hub
for visiting groups such as ours plus students of all ages. Our guide, Lou,
reminded us of the importance of the Chesapeake Bay and its watershed, which
includes 19 rivers and 400 creeks. It stretches through six states and the
District of Columbia, and is home to 3,000 species of plants and animals
plus 17 million people. The bay has an average depth of 22 feet and
underpins $107 billion a year in industries tied to it. It took 25,000
hours of design time to create a building to blend in with its surroundings,
be comfortable to use and have zero impact on the environment. Building
materials were sourced locally or within a 600-mile radius. The one
exception is the hurricane-proof windows made in Lithuania. Building
materials included wood from old gym floors and bleachers salvaged from area
schools that were demolished, vintage fence posts, and centuries-old cypress
reclaimed from river bottoms. Recycled champagne corks function as cabinet
pulls. All the cabinets and countertops in the kitchen were repurposed.
There are no toxic chemicals in any of the building materials, including the
paint which was custom-made for the center by Sherwin-Williams. Two wind
turbines generate all the electricity the Brock Center needs plus extra to
sell back to Dominion Energy. Cisterns collect rainwater for a system that
treats it to use in the building. Composting toilets use no water and turn
waste into compost. The pristine and odor-free bathrooms are popular
attractions for visiting school groups. A geothermal system heats & cools
the building, along with ceiling fans and windows that open strategically to
channel wind for ventilation. All this efficiency makes the building
completely self-sufficient. After the tour, our group motored over the
nearby Lesner Bridge to have lunch at the Dockside Restaurant. As we ate,
Lynnhaven Inlet was bustling with boaters heading out for a day of sun and
fun. (Story by Sally Kirby Hartman. Photos by Mark McAlpine)

June 24, 2017 - TRAACA Summer Tour
to Richmond - It’s always a challenge to schedule a weekend tour
during the summer because of the many competing demands on members—summer
vacations with family, car shows, weddings, etc. That explains why it was a
small, but enthusiastic group of TRAACA members who made the journey to
Richmond, VA, on Saturday and Sunday, June 24-25, 2017, for the club’s
Summer Tour. Matt & Vickie Doscher drove their 1991 Mercury Grand Marquis
and Rad & Margie Tillett drove their 1958 Oldsmobile 88, while Ron & Sally
Hartmann, Wayne & Carol Milligan, and Mark & Marion McAlpine drove modern.
The group caravanned to Richmond, with the first stop at the historic
100-acre Maymont Estate Park. The group enjoyed a guided tour of the Maymont
Mansion, Italian Garden, and Japanese Garden, and viewed the collection of
carriages and sleighs in the Carriage House and Stone Barn. After enjoying
lunch at the Plaza Azteca Mexican restaurant, the group then visited the
Virginia Holocaust Museum (VHM). The VHM is housed in the old American
Tobacco Warehouse. The museum presents a somber history of one of the worst
periods in human history, but all of us agreed that our guided tour by a
survivor of the Holocaust (he was born in one of the concentration camps in
1945) provided a fulfilling experience that we wouldn’t have received on a
self-guided visit. After checking into our hotels, most of the group went on
a guided ghost tour of old Richmond. The stories and histories behind the
reported ghosts were fascinating, and some of our group think they may have
seen a specter at one of the building that was a Civil War hospital.
Everyone was on their own for breakfast on Sunday, then met at the historic
Tredegar Iron Works for a guided tour of the facility. Tredegar was founded
in 1836, and during the Civil War produced half of the cannons supplied to
the Confederacy and produced the iron plating for the Confederacy’s first
iron-clad warship, the CSS Virginia. Tredegar supplied the U.S. military
during World Wars I & II, but never transitioned from producing iron to
producing steel, and went out of business in 1957. In 2000, Tredegar became
the entrance to the Richmond National Battlefield and it is now a designated
National Historic Landmark. After visiting Tredegar, the group separated to
proceed home at their own pace. Thanks to Matt & Vickie for planning and
organizing the tour—it was a great weekend! (Story and photos by Mark
McAlpine)